Classical

Schubert's "Arpeggione" Sonata has been given top billing for some reason, but it's not the only offering, or even the main one, in this alluring duo recital disc by cellist Gautier Capuçon and pianist Frank Braley. For that matter, it's not the most successful - Capuçon's edgy, vivacious string tone doesn't quite have the ripe luxuriance the piece demands, and Braley's playing, though nimble, is indulgently showy. But the rest of the disc, which features familiar repertoire works by Schumann, Debussy and Britten, is a model undertaking - thoughtful, highly dramatic and played with precision and grace. Schumann's "Five Pieces in Folk Style" gets a robust and personable reading, with just the right balance of humor and expressive sincerity, and the Debussy sonata sounds pointed yet sweet in Capuçon's account. Perhaps the most striking performance comes at the end, with a rendition of the Britten Sonata that brings out the full emotional and technical range of the work.